Article Summary: This article will help anyone looking for information pertaining to a real estate license in the state of Texas or anyone looking to become a real estate agent or realtor in Texas. Contents of this article may include information on real estate education, schools, training courses, continuing education, tests and exams, laws, license requirements, renewal information, forms and more..
The mission of the Texas Real Estate Commission
is to assist and protect consumers of real estate services, thereby fostering economic
growth within the state. The Commissions main office is in Austin.
The requirements for a real estate salesperson license
in Texas include completing the required real estate education courses. The salesperson
applicant needs to successfully complete at least 210 classroom hours of approved courses.
All applicants must pass the real estate examinations and apply for their license within
six months of passing. All salesperson applicants must be sponsored by an active Texas
real estate broker. An inactive license will be issued until the applicant obtains a
sponsor.
The requirements for a real estate broker license
in Texas include having at least two years of active experience as a licensed real estate
salesperson or broker during the preceding 96 months. Or, if licensed as a broker in
another state, the applicant needs to have not less than two years of active experience as
a salesperson or broker during the 36 month period immediately preceding filing the
application. Broker applicants need to have successfully completed 270 classroom hours of
approved core real estate courses, and an additional 630 classroom hours in acceptable
related courses. All broker applicants must pass the real estate examinations and apply
for their license within six months of passing the exams.
The requirements for all applicants for a real estate agent license in Texas include
being at least 18 years of age, a citizen of the United States or a lawfully admitted
alien, and a legal resident of Texas. If the broker applicant is a resident of
another state, the applicant must be licensed as a real estate broker in that state. All
applicants must obtain an education evaluation of the courses taken. The evaluation is
valid for one year and the fee for it is $20.00.
The evaluation needs to be completed before the applicants file their application
for a license. Texas law prohibits issuing a license to anyone who has defaulted on a
student loan guaranteed by the Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation (TGSLC)
unless the applicant has entered into a repayment agreement with TGSLC. The filing of a
real estate license application authorizes the Commission to do an investigation of the
applicant's background.
The Salesperson Annual
Education Requirements (SAE) include successful completion of 18 semester
hours (270 classroom) hours of approved education courses by the end of their third year
of licensure. Fourteen semester hours (210 classroom hours) of the SAE must be core
courses. These courses must be taken over the period of the license, with at least 2
semester hours (30 classroom) hours successfully completed during each annual renewal
period.
The salesperson must file at least 4 semester hours (60 classroom) as a condition of
the first renewal. Core courses may not be repeated within a 3-year time frame.
Once real estate salespersons have completed the SAE requirements, they need to
complete the Mandatory
Continuing Education (MCE) for each renewal period. The MCE consists of six
classroom hours of legal ethics and legal update courses. The laws affecting the MCE
changed effective January 1, 2005. Inactive licensees are not required to complete the
Mandatory Continuing Education courses.
You can locate the approved core real estate education
schools, and the Mandatory Continued
Education Schools online.
The real estate examinations are administered by PSI, a professional examination
company.
A complete listing of license
fees is online. The original license application fee for a salesperson is
$97.00, plus a one-time fee of $10.00 for the Real Estate Recovery Fund. When converting
from a broker license to salesperson license the fee is $95.00. The original license
application fee for a broker is $300.00, plus the one-time $10.00 Real Estate Recovery
Fund Fee if it has not already been paid.
All Texas real estate licenses may be renewed online. The fee for renewing a
salesperson license where the applicant needs SAE is $58.00. If the applicant needs
mandatory continuing education, the renewal fee for a salesperson license is $115.00. An
inactive salesperson renewal, not needing the continuing education, is $115.00. The
renewal fee for a broker license, whether or not the continuing education is needed, is
$519.00.
Late fee for renewing a salesperson license is $67.50, and the late fee for renewing a
broker license is $300.00. These late fees are in addition to the regular renewal fees.
Texas does not have reciprocity agreements with any other states. To become licensed in
Texas, all applicants need to meet the current Texas licensing requirements.
You may obtain the Texas
real estate forms online.
Real estate careers are strengthened by membership in the many organizations that provide
services for the professional agent. Organizations like the Texas Association of Realtors and the National Association of
Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) assist many in locating
real estate jobs within the industry. The Association of Real Estate License Law Officials
(ARELLO)
and The National Association of Realtors (NAR), the world's largest
professional association, are excellent resources for real estate education and
professional enrichment.